Fastening device



May 26, 1936. w W 2,041,780

FASTENING DEVIQCE Filed Sept. 5, 1931 1 I i 7/290111 E I I I H Ill INVENTOR EQ William 11.3mm

3. N. I wag ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1936 PATENT OFFICE,

FASTENING DEVICE William L. Rowe, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Johns-Manville Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York v Application September 5, 1931, Serial No. 561,499 I 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a fastening device and more particularly to one adapted for use in stapling overlapping flexible units of prepared roofing material and other relatively thick pieces of penetrable material.

There is need of a satisfactory method of as I sembly of shingles or units of prepared roofing materials, which comprises fastening the weather exposure portion of one shingle to an underlying ply of the same material. For such work there are certain requirements of a stapler for most satisfactory service.

Purposes of the present invention are the meeting of these special requirements of the stapling device. Other objects and details of the invention will appear from the description which follows.

Automatic stapling devices are so well known that it is not necessary to discuss details of design or operation, other than the present improvements: For a detailed description of an automatic stapling device in which the present improvements may be incorporated, reference is made to United States Patent No. 1,634,840.

In the drawing presented herewith, the shaded portions represent those having to do with the improvements of the present invention. The unshaded portions indicate parts that are more or less conventional.

In the drawing, like reference numbers indicate like parts.-

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation, the lower portion, consisting of the anvil and connections, being broken away for cleamess of illustration. Fig. 2 is an end elevation seen at line 2--2 of Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section seen at line 3-3 of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 represents a section on. the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 shows an enlarged side view of the staple, the solid lines indicating the staple before clinching, and the dotten lines, the position of the prongs after they have struck the compound forming grove and been forced into the clinching position. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 3. This shows the profile of the bottom (IQ) of the two ends of the compound forming groove, adapted to bend the prongs of a staple inward.

As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic stapling device comprises a handle-(l), a plunger (2), a

- staple-feeding mechanism (3), an overriding ward upper edge, a'compound forming groove (1), an adjustable stop plate (8), with set screw (9), and holes for said set screw at positions (I0),

a hinged connection (I t) which attaches the anvil to the barsupport member (12), and means for maintaining the anvil normally in a definite spaced relationship to the bar support member, said means including a spring (I3), surrounding in part a bolt (I4) with nut (I5) By changingthe position of the nut on the bolt, the anvil may be allowed to drop to a different but predetermined position with respect to the bar support member (l2). The dotted lines show units of prepared roofing material (2!) in position for stapling, with staple (l1) driven and clinched. The units are supported by the substructure (22) to which the lower units are secured by the nail (23).

Fig. 3 shows certain details which are not so readily observable in the other figures. For example, it is seen that the clinching groove is a compound groove, which, receiving the two prongs of the driven staple at positions (20) will bend the two prongs so that they will not meet or strike squarely but, if long enough to extend past each other, will lie side by side.

Also it is seen that the central part of the fore end of the anvil is cut away to leave the end of the anvil in the form of two claws with tapered ends, these claws having each a width at the end which is something less than the width of the staple, and being adapted therefore to be inserted under the base of a staple when it is desired to pull the staple from the stapled object. The claws become wider toward their base and define between them a groove which becomes more narrow towards its base.

The use of this stapling device may be illustrated by the case of fastening the exposed tab ends of roofing shingles to a lower course of similar units. The anvil with tapered point is moved under the exposed portions of two courses of the roofing units, suitably sufiiciently far to provide support for the anvil at two points, one near the fore end and one near the back end, said support being rigid, such as the butt ends of old wooden shingles over which the units of prepared roofing material may be laid, and to bring the stapling mechanism into such position that, when the plunger is thrust downward, as by striking by the hand, a staple will pierce the roofing units at the point desired. To make more convenient the insertion of the anvil to the desired distance under the lowest unit to be stapled, the adjustable stop plate (8) is so set that when this stop plate strikes the exposed end of the lower unit to be stapled, the anvil will be in the position desired and will be stopped from sliding further.

While the application of the device has been described for use with prepared roofing units, it is adapted for stapling other articles or materials which are readily penetrable by a staple.

The stapling device is particularly adapted to clinching staples of relatively long prongs which, in being clinched with a stapling device of usual pattern, would give interference between the prongs. with the device of the present invention, on the other hand, the long prongs are bent past each other without striking squarely or without interference. This bending of the prongs past each other without interference in non-converging, non-overlapping relationship of the prongs is effected by the type of clinching groove used. As shown in Fig. 3, the compound groove is not in straight alignment with the plane of the staple. The two portions of the compound groove, receiving each a prong of a driven staple, will bend the prongs at diiferent angles with respect to an imaginary plane passing through the base and prongs of the staple to be clinched. For brevity, this plane will be referred to simply as the plane of the staple. Also, a compound groove may be substituted by an equivalent consisting of two single grooves, so placed as to receive the prongs of a staple as it is being driven and to bend them inward at dlflerent angles with respect to the plane'of the staple. This insures that'the bent prongs do not strike each other during the clinching process, to the extent of interfering with each other, since the prongs do not point directly toward each other after bending. For example, one prong while being bent inwardly may be bentalso slightly backward, whereas the other prong may be bent slightly forward or at a different angle than the former, with respect to the plane of the stable. This makes possible the use of relatively long pronged staples and the production of bent over ends of sumcient length to pass each other, as indicated in Fig. 5, and thereby give good holding power when the staple is thus clinched under a unit of prepared roofing material or other similar material.

In the use of this stapling device in securing the weather exposure ends of asphalt-impregnated felt or other prepared roofing units to a lower course, it is convenient to have the anvil (5) normally in a definite spaced relationship to the bar support member (l2), so that the anvil may be inserted easily under a course of shingles and so that the bar support member, with the over-riding guide (4) may slip readily over the top course of units to be stapled. For this reason, it is desirable that the anvil should be maintained normally in a definite spaced relationship to the bar support member. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 1, by the spring (l3) and the bolt (ll) around which the spring is placed. The spring pushes down against the anvil and upward against the bar support member (II), the spring thus tending to push the two members apart. On the other hand, the bolt (ll) with the adjustable unit Ii) prevents the anvil from dropping to a lower position, with respect to the bar support member, than is allowed by the setting of the adjustable nut.

An over-riding guide member (4) of lower surface sloping upward in a forward direction and a tapered point on the anvil member, supported below said guide member in spaced relationship thereto, facilitate the movements of these members on either side of the material to be stapled.

As stated previously, it is desirable in stapling flexible units laid on an uneven surface, such as old wooden shingles of a house, that the lower or anvil member should be supported firmly at two points, suitably on each side of the clinching groove (1) in order to prevent distortion or tearing of an underlying ply of flexible roofing material. For this purpose it is satisfactory to have the tapered or forward end (6) extend forward 5 sufllciently beyond the position of the clinching groove to rest upon a rigid support, such as the butt of a wooden shingle, when the stapling device is in position so that the rear end of the anvil is also rigidly supported, as upon the butt of a 10 lower wooden shingle. Obviously the length to which the tapered end should extend beyond the clinchinggroove depends somewhat upon the distance between the high points of the rigid sup-- port over which the flexible units are placed pre- 15 vious to stapling. I have found it convenient, in some casesyto have the tapered end extend forward at least 1 inch beyond the position of the clinching groove, in other cases, approximately 2 inches or more.

The use of the claws IS) in withdrawing staples, when necessary, is not the only convenience in having such a shape to the forward end of the clinching anvil. In the insertion of an anvil under ,units nailed to a rigid support, the 25:

end of the anvil would occasionally strike a nail used to secure such units to the rigid support were it not for the fact that the anvil is cut away in such a manner as to permit it to pass on either side of a nail.

The details given are for the purpose of illustration, not restriction of the invention. Variations within the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

What Iclaim is:

1. In a stapling device of the class described, a clinching anvil provided with a compound form- I ing groove, adapted to bend the two prongs of the driven staple at different angles with respect to 4.0

the plane of the staple and to avoid overlapping of the prongs, and provided also with a tapering point out out in the center to form two claws defining between them a groove which becomes narrower towards its base.

2. A stapling device comprising in combination a bar support member, an anvil provided with a dull-pointed forward portion having a straight lower surface and a beveled forward upper surface, an adjustable stop plate on the anvil to 50 control the length of anvil that may be inserted under an object to be stapled, a hinged connection at the rear of said anvil and below the lower surface of the bar support member for securing the anvil pivotally to the bar support member, 65 and adjustable means for maintaining the anvil normally in a definite spaced relationship to the bar support member.

3. A stapling device comprising in combination a bar support member, an overriding guide mem- 60 her with its lower surface sloping upward in a forward direction, an anvil with a dull tapered point having a straight lower surface and a beveled forward upper surface, an adjustable stop plate on the anvil to control the length of anvil that may as be inserted under an object to be stapled, and a hinged connection at the rear of said anviland below the lower surface of the bar support member for securing the anvil pivotally to the bar support member.

WILHLAM L. ROW]. 

